Koschei's Adventures
by Mozart the Meerkitten
Summary: A reformed version of the Master (going by his childhood name Koschei and in his EoT regeneration) finds himself trapped in an alternate universe where he aids a young queen who is fighting a war for her kingdom. Along the way he runs into alternate versions of the family he has come to know and love so well and they give him cause to wonder if he will ever be able to return home.
1. Chapter 1

Part One  
Queen Carrissa and Princess Cassandra  
Chapter One

Koschei woke curled up on the hard floor of a dungeon cell. His memory and thoughts were fuzzy and he felt sick. He vaguely remembered someone screaming, terrible pain and then an engulfing blackness. He shivered- he had no idea where he was or what had happened to Carrissa and the Doctor after he had lost consciousness.

He opened his eyes and winced at the dim light. A guard stood outside his cell. Koschei coughed and tried to sit up, but fell back when the world started spinning. Besides making him feel worse, the movement got the attention of his guard, who turned and stared at him for a moment.

"Good, you're finally awake." The guard turned and walked off without another word, leaving Koschei to ponder what that meant.

 _'_ _Where in the universe am I?'_

The guard returned with several others and they unlocked the cell and hauled their groggy prisoner to his feet. The world tilted again and Koschei stumbled, but they held him up and half dragged him out. The little group ascended from the dungeon and trundled through the hallways. Koschei kept his eyes shut and tried to keep from being sick.

Finally, they halted. Painfully Koschei opened his eyes and saw a dais and throne in front of him. A girl walked towards them. Her blurry silhouette stopped in front of Koschei and eyed him disdainfully.

"Kneel before your queen." Her voice was icy, but at the same time achingly familiar. The guards let go of him, and Koschei tumbled to the ground, not exactly kneeling- more like laying in a crumpled heap- but the queen didn't seem to care.

"Who are you, and how did you enter my palace undetected?" the girl demanded.  
Koschei gathered himself. He braced himself against the ground and managed what was the closest he could get to a kneeling position, then took a deep breath and replied, "I don't know how I got here. It… it was kind of an accident."  
He didn't see it, but the young queen raised her eyebrow at him, "Oh? So you just happened to stumble into a royal palace, is that it?"

"It happens to me more often than you would think." Said Koschei, a hint of amusement in his voice.

The girl reached down and grabbed his hair, forcing him to look up at her, "Do you have any idea who I am?" she hissed in a furious whisper.  
Koschei nearly screamed as pain exploded in his head. A headache developed in seconds and started pounding in his scalp, mocking the days when he used to have to deal with the drumming. He couldn't breathe for a moment, then he took a gasping breath and shivered violently.  
"No." he managed, desperately hoping she would let go of him.

The young queen did. She released his hair, straightened up and glowered at him. "I am Queen Carrissa, ruler of this realm. How dare you come here and mock me." She kicked him in the side, knocking the breath out of him and leaving him in a further haze of pain. "You would do well to remember me for what remains of your short life, you pathetic creature…"

"Mother!"

Koschei registered the new voice, but it took him a moment to place it. When he did, his eyes widened. Painfully, he rolled over and he saw a little girl in a dress glaring indignantly at the queen.

"Mother, what are you _doing_?" demanded the little girl.  
The queen glared at the child, "Cassandra, what have I told you about interrupting me when I'm having an audience?"  
The little girl huffed, "Not to. But mother," she fumbled for words, "Why are you beating him up?"  
The queen sighed, "This is an interrogation, daughter, it's not pretty. I have reason to believe that this man is a spy."  
"So you're kicking him?"  
"Sometimes we have to do unfortunate things to get information." Replied the young queen.  
"I don't think he looks like a spy." Cassandra said, "I think he looks sick."  
"And what do you suggest I do with him? Let him go?" the queen sounded exasperated.  
Cassandra shrugged, "I've been needing a servant."  
"I'm sure I can find you a better servant than…"  
"He won't hurt me, mother, he can't even sit up. And anyway, we have guards for a reason, don't we?"  
The queen threw her hands in the air, "Fine. Get him out of my sight."

The guards converged on Koschei again and dragged him up. As he fell back into unconsciousness, he heard the little girl issuing orders.

 _'_ _Where in the universe_ am _I?'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

The Master woke up in a very different place than he had been dragged to previously. He was lying on a bed in a well-furnished room, but what caught his attention was the little girl sitting on a chair next to him.

She looked _exactly_ like Casey. She had the same braided blonde hair, pretty blue eyes and a kindness in her small face that spoke volumes about her character.

"You're awake!" the little girl smiled. She was much more cheerful about this proclamation than the guards had been.  
"How long have I been out?" the Master asked, surprised at how tired he sounded.  
"Three days." Replied princess Cassandra.

Three days. The Master wondered if that was the same amount of time had passed in Catland. He wondered what his Carrissa and the others thought had happened to him. He desperately hoped that they didn't think he was dead, but he knew that was their most likely response to his disappearance. After all, Carrissa and Theta had seen him regenerating.

That thought alone made him want to curl up into a ball and cry. The fact that his friends probably thought he was dead and not coming back was almost too much to bear. The kids- those poor kids, they knew death too well. The Master remembered how Carrissa had reacted when they learned Melissa was still alive (sort of)- Zuko had told him that it had been traumatic and downright scary for everyone involved. Now he had hurt them all too. The kids would be so upset, Zack probably wouldn't sleep for at least a week; Loki would get depressed, Carrissa would blame herself, Theta would pretend to be okay and then sob in his TARDIS…

"Are you okay?"

Casey's voice interrupted his thoughts. He refocused on her little face. She looked concerned and a bit scared.

The Master sighed, "Well, no…" he stared at her, "I… I'm lost. I was thinking about my family."  
Casey nodded, "I bet you miss them."  
"Yeah. Yeah, I do, Casey."

The name slipped out of its own accord- the Master hadn't meant to say it. His eyes widened a bit and he opened his mouth to explain himself, but then the little girl did something completely unexpected that stopped him in his tracks.

Cassandra giggled and smiled at him, just a bit. "How did you know my nickname? Nobody calls me that except mommy and Draymond."  
"I… I know a little girl with that name, back at my home." The Master stuttered.  
Casey accepted this answer without further prodding, which seemed odd, but then, she was a princess, she was probably used to odd, he reasoned.

"So, since you know my name it's only fair that I learn yours." She smiled.  
"Alright. My name… my name's Koschei." Somehow he didn't think telling her he was called The Master would go over very well.  
"That's a funny name!" Casey grinned.  
"Somewhere in the universe, Casey is a funny name." breathed Koschei with a small smile.

"Oh, here, hang on…" Casey jumped off her chair and ran over to the door. She opened it and pulled a tall, burly man with dark skin inside.  
"This is my bodyguard, Draymond." She said, "Draymond, this is Koschei. He's my new servant."

Draymond eyed him distrustfully, making Koschei shrink back a bit. The man was even taller and more menacing than Loki's brother Thor, and Koschei was sure that he would show no mercy to anyone who tried to harm his little charge.

"Casey, wait outside for a few moments." Draymond's voice was deep and smooth, but that didn't make him any less frightening.  
The little girl started to protest, then thought better of it and scooted out and closed the door. Draymond took a few steps closer to Koschei's bed and stared at him.  
"I am speaking to you on behalf of her majesty Queen Carrissa and myself. If you harm one hair on that child's head I will kill you myself. I will protect her at all costs, even if I have to give my own life. If you _are_ a spy or an assassin, I will make you rue the day you ever came here. Is that understood?"

Koschei swallowed hard. His throat had gone dry and a sense of dread had settled over him as Draymond's quiet voice had issued the threat.  
"Yes, I understand." He said after a moment, then, summoning his courage he continued, "But know this; I would never hurt that little girl, or any child, ever- and you can take my word for that. You have nothing to fear from me, but I don't blame you of being suspicious- I'd be suspicious of me too. But I won't hurt Casey, or anyone else here."

Draymond's eyes narrowed and he shook his head slowly, "When you prove yourself worthy of trust then I will trust you. Until then, my threat stands." Then the big bodyguard walked outside once more, and Casey darted in.

"Draymond can be a little scary sometimes," she said, taking in Koschei's slightly shell-shocked expression, "But he's a really good bodyguard, and he's nice once you get to know him. Mom's the same way. She doesn't mean to be scary and stuff, she just…" Casey looked down, "They'll warm up to you."

Koschei looked at her curiously, "Why do _you_ like me, Casey?"  
Casey looked uncomfortable, "I dunno, I just… I trust you. And you aren't afraid of my mom. I heard you talking to her before she got really mad- nobody's made a joke in front of my mom in a long time, except me." Casey smiled, "I like you better than the servants mom tries to give me. They… they treat me bad."  
"You think I won't?"  
"Nah, you've got a nice face." The little girl blushed, and glanced down.  
"I'm glad you think so." Said Koschei, rather surprised, "But your mom and Draymond are right to suspect me- I've done some bad things in my day." He winced.  
"Everybody does bad things." Casey shrugged, "Anyway, you look tired. You should probably sleep more."

Koschei smiled at her, "Yes, your majesty."  
Casey folded her arms and pretended to glare at him, then burst out laughing. "Go to bed!" she got up and walked over to the door, stopping to glance back at him and giggle again before darting out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Koschei was confused when he woke up the next day to Casey's familiar voice, but a distinctly unfamiliar room. Then he remembered the recent occurrences in his life and he felt a heaviness settle on his chest around his hearts.

"Come on, Cassandra, focus," a voice Koschei hadn't heard before was speaking. He rolled onto his side and saw Casey sitting on the floor, looking bored, while a middle-aged man with streaks of white hair pointed to a section of a book he was holding.  
"Yes Professor Jenkins, I know." Sighed Casey.

The man, apparently called Professor Jenkins, looked annoyed and promptly shut the book. "Perhaps we should move onto religion then, shall we?"

Casey's head came up. Her whole posture became more alert- and if Koschei was reading her right- wary.

Jenkins looked pleased, "That's better. Now, Cassandra, does our country believe in a god?"  
"Well, no, but we-"  
"And why is this, Cassandra?"  
"Because the queen decrees it. But it hasn't been-"  
"Good. Now, if you will open your textbook to page two hundred and eighty seven…"  
"But Professor Jenkins, why do we have to study this? I want to go back to reading the Bible in my lessons." Protested Casey.  
Jenkins looked stern and slightly sympathetic, "Now, Cassandra, you know that book has been forbidden along with all mention of the god inside it, and that it was decreed by your mother no less. Now if you can please focus…"  
"But I don't want to! Mommy may have said that, but it hasn't been that way for very long and I don't like it!"  
Professor Jenkins glared at her, "Cassandra, _must_ we have this discussion every time I try to teach you about religion?"  
"What religion? There is only one religion _I'll_ ever be a part of and that's Christianity, I don't care what my mother says!" yelled Casey.  
"Cassandra, really, will you stop acting like this? It's not at all befitting behavior for a princess and…"

At that moment, Casey started to cough violently, holding her chest and doubling over. Jenkins turned from looking angry to panicked in a split second.  
"Cassandra, are you alright? Should I get the medics?" the Professor tried to steady her, but the little girl shrank back.  
Her words intersperced with coughs, Casey replied, "I'll *cough* I'll be okay, I just *cough* need to lay down for a bit *cough* *cough* it must be all the shouting and the dust on the books."  
"By your leave then." Jenkins nervously exited, his worried gaze never leaving Casey.

When the instructor had gone, Koschei scrambled out of bed and stumbled over to the little girl.  
"Are you alright?" he demanded, kneeling down in front of her.  
Casey looked at him and her face broke into a grin, "Fine, thanks." Koschei stared at her in confusion, and after a moment she took pity on him, "I used to have these fits where it was hard for me to breathe, once and awhile they still happen, so when I want to get rid of someone here I start coughing and they leave me alone."

Koschei breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back from her. As his shock abated and adrenaline stopped pumping through him, Koschei realized painfully that jumping out of bed was probably not the best idea when recovering from a very wonky regeneration. His head started to pound and the room began to spin again. If he shut his eyes it at least reduced the feeling of spinning and falling, but the headache remained.

Casey poked him gently in the arm, "Are _you_ alright?" she asked.  
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Said Koschei, not opening his eyes. "So, if you don't mind me asking about your lesson- why is Christianity outlawed? And why are you having lessons in here?"  
Casey grinned again, "To answer your second question first, it's because I didn't know what to do with you, so I had you put in my room. Well, technically my playroom/lessons room- I had the servants drag you in a cot bed thing."  
"It's the nicest cot bed thing I've ever slept on."  
Casey blushed a bit, "Glad you like it." Her face turned serious, "To answer your first question…. Mommy outlawed it. She… she got really upset at God and told everyone to stop worshiping him and reading their Bibles and stuff. Now you can get arrested for doing those kinds of things."

"That sounds terrible!" said Koschei, opening his eyes again in shock.  
Casey sighed, "I don't like it either. I don't even have my own Bible anymore. Mommy locked them all up."

Koschei hesistated, then whispered, "Can you keep a secret?"  
Casey nodded, looking curious.  
Koschei reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out his small, worn, leather Bible. The words "Holy Bible" on the front were nearly indiscernible, but Casey's eyes widened when she saw it.

"You… You…." she reached out a little hand towards it, the stopped, "Can I touch it?"  
"Of course you can- it's not going to fall apart, trust me, if it was going to it would have already." Koschei grinned as he held it out to her.

Reverently, the little girl stroked the leather book. "It's beautiful." she whispered.  
Koschei nodded, "If you want, you can read from it."  
Casey looked up at him, her face alight with joy, "You mean it?"  
Koschei's grin widened, "Sure. I can show you my favorite stories and stuff too, if you want."

Casey leapt up and hugged him fiercely. "You're the best."

After five days under Casey's watchful care, the Master was well enough to follow her around on little jaunts through the castle, which both of them enjoyed. Casey pointed out all her favorite places and some of the best hiding spots for hide-and-seek ("But not the bestest ones, those ones are my secret and you have to find them yourself.") which eventually led Koschei to ask her a question.

"Casey, why are there no other children for you to play with in the castle?" he inquired one afternoon as they strolled through the gardens.  
Casey looked down at the cobblestones, "Can you keep a secret?"

Koschei smiled to himself. The phrase was commonly used between them, because they- apparently- both had many secrets.  
"Of course."

"Mommy scared them away." Casey said quietly.

Koschei's brow furrowed, "What?"  
"When mommy banned Christianity and Bibles and stuff, and some of the other things she's done recently… she scared the other kids away. They were afraid she's do bad things to them and their families if they did something wrong while playing with me." Casey looked up at him desperately, "Please don't tell mommy, she doesn't know and if she does it would only make things worse."

Koschei looked worried, "I won't tell, Casey, but I am sorry you don't have any playmates."

Casey's little hand slipped into his, "I have you. That's good enough for a start."

He smiled down at her, "I'm glad you think so."

"I've got a surprise for you!"

It was a week and a half after Koschei had come into Casey's care and the two had become nearly inseparable (much to Draymond and Professor Jenkin's annoyance). Casey rarely treated Koschei like an actual servant- more often they played together in the gardens or the courtyard. Draymond was distinctly suspicious of how fast their friendship had developed, and Professor Jenkins was annoyed that Koschei was always interrupting Casey's lessons with comments.

"A surprise? For me?" Koschei grinned at the little girl, who was practically dancing around him.

"Yep! Come with me!" she pulled him to through the door of her room and dragged him down the hall a little ways. She stopped at the third door from her room and pulled it open.

"Ta-da! I got you your own room!" the little girl dashed inside, looking very proud of herself.

Koschei followed more calmly, looking pleased. "It's great, Casey, I love it."

The room had a bed in the middle, with a dresser, desk and chairs piled against the walls. A door on the left side led to a small bathroom and a large window took up much of the back wall.

Casey scampered up to him, "The room next to this one is Draymond's, since he's my bodyguard, and the closest one to my room, well…" she glanced down, looking rather sad, "I can't really talk about it." she perked up again, "And this one's your's now!"

"Does it have any secret passageways?" he asked, half jokingly.

"Maaaybe." Casey grinned at him.

He chuckled, "If there are, I'll find them, I'm pretty good at that, you know."

Casey huffed, "Yeah, I do." Koschei was great at seeking in hide-and-seek.

"I have another surprise too." grinned the little girl, "There's gonna be a ball! It's to help make peace with one of our neighboring countries, mommy says, even though I don't like the man who rules it and neither does mommy. But still, it's a ball!" she twirled in a circle, making her dress fly up around her knees, "I'll have to find you something to wear for it.

Koschei wrinkled his nose, "If I must."

Casey laughed, "I insist!"


End file.
